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Protect Future Generations
"We have not inherited the Earth from our fathers, we are borrowing it from our children"- Lester BrownThe average child receives four times more exposure than an adult to at least eight widely used cancer-causing pesticides in food. The food choices you make now will impact your child's health in the future. Protect future generations - simply go organic.
2.
Prevent Soil Erosion The Soil Conservation service estimated that more than 3 billion tons of topsoil are eroded from United States croplands each year. This means that it is being built up naturally. Soil is the foundation of the food chain in organic farming. But in some conventional farming the soil is used more as a medium for holding plants in a vertical position so they can be chemically fertilized. As a result, American farms are suffering from the worst soil erosion in history. Prevent soil erosion -- simply go organic.
3.
Protect Water QualityWater makes up two-thirds of our body mass and covers three-fourths of the planet. Despite its importance, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated pesticides -- some cancer causing -- contaminate the ground water in 38 states in America. Polluting the primary source of drinking water for more than half the country's population. Protect water quality -- simply go organic.
4.
Save Energy
American farms have changed drastically in the last three generations, from family-based small businesses dependent on human energy to large-scale factory farms highly dependent on fossil fuels. Modern farming uses more petroleum than any other single industry, consuming 12 percent of the county's total energy supply. More energy is now used to produce fertilizers than to till, cultivate and harvest all the crops in the Unites States. Organic farming is still mainly based on labor intensive practices such as weeding by hand and using green manures and crop covers rather than synthetic fertilizers to build up soil. Organic produce also tends to travel fewer miles from field to table. Save energy-- simply go organic.
5.
Keep Chemicals Off Your Plate
Many pesticides approved for use by the EPA were registered long before extensive research linking these chemicals to cancer and other diseases had been established. Now the EPA considers that 60 percent of all herbicides. 90 percent of all fungicides and 30 percent of all insecticides are carcinogenic. A 1987 National Academy of Sciences report estimated that pesticides might cause an extra 1.4 million cancer cases among Americans over their lifetimes. The bottom line is that pesticides are poisons designed to kill living organisms and can also be harmful to humans. In addition to cancer, pesticides are implicated in birth defects, nerve damage and genetic mutations. Keep chemicals off your plate -- simply go organic.
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Protect Farm Worker HealthA National Cancer Institute Study found that farmers exposed to herbicides had a six times greater risk than non-farmers of contracting cancer. In California, reported pesticide poisonings among farm workers have risen an average of 14 percent a year since 1973 and doubled between 1975 and 1985. Field workers suffer the highest risk of occupational illnesses in the state. Farm worker health is also a serious problem in developing nations, where pesticide use can be poorly regulated. An estimated 1 million people are poisoned annally by pesticides. Protect farm workers -- simply go organic.
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Help Small FarmersAlthough more and more large farms are making the conversion to organic practices, most organic farms are small independently owned and operated family farms of less than 100 acres. It is estimated that the Unites States has lost more 650,000 family farms in the past decade. And with the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting that half the country's farm protection will come from 1 percent of farms by the year 2000, organic farming could be one of the few survival tactics left for many family farms. Help small farmers --simply go organic.
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Support a True EconomyAlthough organic foods might seem more expensive than conventional foods; conventional food prices do not reflect hidden costs borne by tax payers, including nearly $74 billion on federal subsidies in 1988. Other hidden costs include pesticide regulation and testing, hazardous waste disposal and clean-up and environmental damage. Author Gary Null says " If·you add in the real environment and social costs of irrigation to a head of lettuce, its price can range between $2 and $3". Support a true economy - simply go organic.
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Promote BiodiversityMono-cropping is the practice of planting large plots of land with the same crop year after year. While this approach tripled farm production between 1950 and 1970, the lack of natural diversity of plant life has left the soil lacking in natural minerals and nutrients. To replace the nutrients, chemical fertilizers are used, often in increasing amounts. Single crops are also much more susceptible to pests, making farmers more reliant on pesticides. Despite a ten-fold increase in the use of pesticides between 1947 and 1974, crop losses due to insects have doubled -- partly because some insects have become genetically resistant to certain pesticides. Promote biodiversity -- simply go organic.
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Taste Better FlavourThere's a good reason why many chefs use organic foods in their recipes -- they taste better! Organic farming starts with the nourishment of the soil, which eventually leads to the nourishment of the plant and, ultimately, our palates. Taste better flavour -- simply go organic
This article was excerpted from an article by Sylvia Tawse, marketing coordinator for Alfalfa's Markets, an organic food marketplace, in Boulder and Denver Colorado.
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